Icis Novitaar
Icis Novitaar was a Kajeat Traveler, one whose job was to record events in history, but never interfere. He was exiled to the Altarin'Dakor galaxy for breaking Kajeat law, but later escaped and helped the New Imperium prepare for the Return of the Altarin'Dakor. He befriended Grand Master Xar Kerensky of the Jedi Division, teaching him the ways of the True Force and helping him in the war against the AD. Background Icis Novitaar was born sometime around 5,000 BBY, the son of Moa Gault. The circumstances surrounding his birth sent waves through Kajeat society, since Icis was the first Death Child to be born in thousands of years. His mother had perished during the birthing process, when a burglar slipped into the room, panicked at the energy beings floating overhead, and opened fire. In the shock, Icis' mother died and the newborn Kajeat inhabited the burglar's host body unintentionally. Icis Novitaar, a new creature, was born. Despite the circumstances, Moa Gault took his son in and had him trained in the ways of a Traveler. Icis performed well and eventually was given an assignment. All the Kajeat hoped that nothing dire would ever come out of young Novitaar. Novitaar, however, had a mind of his own. Assigned to a remote world in a remote galaxy, he eventually fell in with the beings he was supposed to be observing. He fell in love and married, living what others would consider a normal life. That was, however, until his wife and children were murdered. Seeking revenge, and enraged Icis went on a rampage, slaughtering thousands of the opposing government's forces. The Travelers found out about this, of course, and could not allow such things to continue happening. Icis was captured and taken to Kajarn, where he was to be punished for his interference. His father intervened on his behalf, pleading for leniency, and only because of his position on the Council as a Junior Elder was his request granted. Icis had his Force powers reduced in half, and he was given a new assignment, one that any other Kajeat would be loathe to have: to observe the galaxy belonging to the Altarin'Dakor. The Altarin'Dakor Galaxy For the next several millennia, Icis was forced to survive in the hellish environment of the Altarin'Dakor galaxy, where brutality and subjugation were the foundation of society. Icis was forced to develop skills of deception, evasion and invisibility as he performed his tasks as best he could, knowing one mistake could mean imprisonment and death. But he could not hide forever. In 635 BBY, while observing in the territory of the Shok'Thola Zalaria, Icis was discovered, captured and brought before the Warlord. Zalaria tortured him, attempting to discover who he was and what he was doing inside her space. Icis resisted valiantly, but knew it was only a matter of time; Zalaria would never stop, and no one would be coming to save him. Eventually he broke, revealing everything. Zalaria was not content with mere information, however. She continued to break him down, eventually making him into one of her personal slaves. Finally giving up all hope, Icis served her as a slave for over three hundred years. Zalaria was amused at having a servant that, like her, did not age. Icis continued to serve her even when others grew old and either died or were removed by their subordinates. Icis had become a servant of the Altarin'Dakor. Escape from Slavery Then, one day after over three hundred years of slavery, Icis found an opportunity to escape. He finally fled the vicious Warlord, running deep into the heart of the Altarin'Dakor galaxy to escape her wrath. For years he hid and tried to recover from the centuries-long ordeal. He no longer reported in his findings to Kajarn. As far as the other Travelers were concerned, he'd all but vanished. Then, one day Icis discovered that the Altarin'Dakor had completed their work on the Galactic Gate, which they planned to use to initiate their prophesied Return. Icis slowly, carefully made his way to the construction site, and watched as the Gate was completed and the Altarin'Dakor sent their first scouting forces through. Icis could take it no longer; he had to be free of the Altarin'Dakor galaxy, no matter what it took. Anywhere else, and any punishment from the Kajeat would be worth escape. Stealing an AD scout ship, he followed a formation of ships entering the Galactic Gate and passed through the wormhole. The New Galaxy Icis found himself in an unfamiliar galaxy, now without the assistance of the Traveler network. He explored his immediate surroundings, then took a job with a smuggling organization. At this point, Icis' only concern was for his own survival, and scruples took a back seat to expedience. Using his intelligence, skills at deception and espionage, and his Force powers, Icis clawed his way to the top of the organization, then another and another. Eventually he made his way down the spiral arm of the galaxy into the Outer Rim, and finally the main body of the galaxy, slowly building for himself a small empire of smuggling, extortion and other criminal operations. Icis' goal wasn't merely to become rich and powerful, however. He knew that the Altarin'Dakor were planning to invade, and it was only a matter of time. Exploring the galaxy as quickly as he could, he tried to find a way to stop them. His studies revealed another prophesy, that an incredibly-powerful Force user would rise up and defeat the Altarin'Dakor, driving them back out and destroying the Gate for good. At first, Icis believed this prophesied one was Anakin Skywalker. Icis got close to Anakin and studied him. Despite some mental and character issues, he considered revealing himself and making his plans known, but before he could act, Emperor Palpatine did. When Anakin became Darth Vader, Icis realized that he was looking in the wrong direction. He left again, searching for someone else. The Chosen One No one else caught Icis' eye until he found a young man by the name of Xar Kerensky. Xar was the crown prince of Varnus, a planet directly in the path of the Altarin'Dakor, and the site of a climactic battle with the AD during the Great War. Watching Xar closely, Icis decided that he had all the traits necessary in the kind of individual he needed to convince to his cause. When Xar faced off against a rogue Jedi known as Cain and was nearly killed, Icis stepped in, saving Xar and killing Cain. He then revealed himself as a Traveler, and convinced Xar to accept him as his adviser. In House Ar'Kell, Icis began training Xar in the ways of the True Force. He also helped warn Xar of an impending betrayal by the Dark Brotherhood, and convinced Xar and many of Ar'Kell to flee to Epsilon Sector, where they helped to found the New Imperium and set up a new Jedi Order on the planet Varnus. Slowly Icis revealed more and more about the coming of the Altarin'Dakor, and continued to teach Xar the Force techniques he would need to fight with. He also used the Scepter of Karanishma to reveal key events and actions he must take in order to help Xar and win the war against the AD. But even after all this, Icis was unaware of just how close the Altarin'Dakor actually were. The Return of the Altarin'Dakor When the New Imperium Diktat refused to bow to AD demands, the Altarin'Dakor struck. They hit Varnus hard, capturing Grand Master Xar Kerensky in the process. Icis, shocked and terrified at the sudden arrival of his hated enemy, the ones who had enslaved him for centuries, panicked and fled. Though he returned when it was safe, after the New Imperium had driven the AD fleet away and Kerensky had been rescued, from that point onward nothing was the same for Icis. Xar, who had been assisted in his escape by Zalaria herself, had been stricken with infatuation for the very Warlord that had tortured and imprisoned Icis for centuries. At that point, compelled to act, Icis explained the situation with the Altarin'Dakor and Zalaria's past to Xar, but by then it was too late. Xar went off in search of her, and Icis gave up hope in ever seeing his friend - and his only hope - again. Traveler on Trial Icis took his leave of the New Imperium, and headed out to see to his private organization, which he'd still been running during this time. However, he was shocked by the arrival of Ione Paua, the Traveler "Huntress". Icis had been discovered again, and the Kajeat had sent Ione Paua to find him and bring him back to Kajarn to face trial a second time. Taken to his homeworld, Icis found himself once again before the Council of Elders. This time they intended to lock Icis away for good, and keep him from ever making contact with another civilization again. Icis' father, Moa Gault, refused to help his wayward son this time. However, at the last moment Angol Moa, Supreme Elder of the Travelers, interfered unexpectedly. Giving him a choice, she worked out a deal with Icis, and he agreed to give up the rest of his Force powers, his immortality, and status as a Traveler forever, in exchange for his freedom to return to the New Imperium. His sentence was carried out, and Icis was returned to the New Imperium. The Second Great War Xar Kerensky, returned to the New Imperium with Zalaria in tow, took Icis once again as his adviser, after Icis explained the choices he had made. He also claimed that Zalaria had changed her ways, though Icis was loathe to believe her, and he kept his distance whenever possible. It was even worse that Zalaria virtually ignored him. To her, Icis had been nothing more than a minor interest for a very brief time. But Icis was more focused than ever on stopping the Altarin'Dakor. He accompanied Xar to the planet Mies, where he saved the Grand Master's life for the second time after he was injured by the Shok'Thola Strife. After they had returned to Varnus, they continued to prepare for an imminent renewal in the war against the Altarin'Dakor. Icis continued to try and sow seeds of doubt about Zalaria in Xar, but this drove the two men further and further apart. Then suddenly a new invasion began, led by the Shok'Thola Nimrod, Zalaria's brother. This time the NI was brought to its knees, with nearly all their territory taken, and two final battles occurring simultaneously on both Tralaria and Varnus. Icis, unable to fight, took shelter in the Treasury. In the end, just as Nimrod had descended to claim victory and was about to kill Xar, a mysterious young man appeared right in front of him and dispatched the Warlord easily. The battle was over within minutes. Afterwards, the newcomer explained to Xar, who would later tell Icis and the others, that he was Xar and Zalaria's future son, returned to help the New Imperium, and also to enlist his father's help against an even more horrible enemy in the future. Icis had doubts as to whether this story was true, but he could not offer any other explanation for how Nimrod was defeated. However, after the death of young Derek, Xar broke down, and Icis watched his friend sink further and further into madness and depression. He knew something was seriously wrong, but he could not figure out what it was. Zalaria stated that something was wrong with Xar's mind, with his spirit. Icis knew that they had little time to take advantage of the temporary lapse in the conflict and the confusion amongst the Altarin'Dakor. He knew he had to act. But the only place he could think of where Xar could be healed was his home planet, Kajarn. And Icis had been banned from there forever. He had to figure out a new way to get in, and to help Xar, so that the New Imperium, and the galaxy, might still have a fighting chance. Personality and Traits Icis Novitaar underwent many changes, through his years as a Traveler, as an Altarin'Dakor slave, and as a member of the New Imperium Jedi Division. As a Traveler, he was naturally aloof and logical about life and his work. However, he consistently displayed concern for those in the civilizations it was his job to watch. He could not simply stand by and watch as others were taken advantage of and mistreated, no matter what the Traveler code stated. He was consistently willing to break the rules when he was convinced he was right, whether that meant the Kajeat laws against interference to keep someone from getting killed, to engaging in smuggling, bribery and extortion to build an organization that would help him stop the Altarin'Dakor. When he was the slave of Zalaria, Icis was a ruthless and loyal servant, performing anything she asked him to do. But after he escaped, he was willing to do anything to escape from the Altarin'Dakor, and fled from any situation he felt put him in personal danger. Icis' top priority was his own survival - whether that meant fleeing Varnus from the AD attack, to hiding out for years to avoid detection and capture. His advice to Xar was always practical and pragmatic. He exposed traitors within his organization and eliminated them ruthlessly. He was willing to do anything to stop the Altarin'Dakor, even training young Jedi as living weapons. He held strong loyalties to his friends and comrades, however, especially to Xar, young Derek, and a few others. Icis was extremely tall, making it hard to blend into a crown when he lost his Force ability to turn invisible. He had dark hair and pale skin, and always wore his set of living Kajeat body armor until it was stripped from him after his second trial. He had a variety of lightsabers, but he preferred to avoid personal combat entirely, whenever possible. Category:New pages Category:Characters